Best movies on Netflix (Japon) : our Top 20

2001 · Hayao Miyazaki

Chihiro finds herself stranded in a strange realm of spirits, and when her parents are mysteriously transformed into other beings, she must summon unexpected courage to brave the enchanted world, confront its challenges, and win her family back.

With Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Bunta Sugawara, Akio Nakamura, Yumi Tamai and Ryunosuke Kamiki

2004 · Hayao Miyazaki

A young hatmaker is cursed by a mysterious witch who enters her shop and ages her into an old woman overnight. Forced to leave her old life behind, she crosses paths with the elusive wizard Howl and becomes swept up in his efforts to evade the king’s demands for magical service, drawn into a dangerous struggle that challenges both their destinies.

With Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa, Tatsuya Gashûin, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mitsunori Isaki and Yo Oizumi

1968 · Kihachi Okamoto

Released from prison after a wrongful conviction, a determined man assembles a loyal crew and sets out to track down and confront the person who framed him.

With Tatsuya Nakadai, Etsushi Takahashi, Yuriko Hoshi, Tadao Nakamaru, Akira Kubo, Shigeru Kôyama and Eijirō Tōno

1997 · Hayao Miyazaki

Afflicted by a curse from a boar spirit, Ashitaka — a young prince of a fading tribe — travels west in search of a cure. His journey brings him into contact with San, a fierce human woman who fights to defend the forest, and Lady Eboshi, an ambitious leader bent on clearing the land for progress. Torn between their opposing aims, Ashitaka must find a way to bridge the divide and restore balance between people and nature.

With Youji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yūko Tanaka, Kaoru Kobayashi, Masahiko Nishimura, Tsunehiko Kamijô and Akihiro Miwa

1988 · Isao Takahata

During the closing months of World War II, fourteen-year-old Seita and his younger sister Setsuko become orphans after their mother is killed in a bombing raid on Kobe. After a dispute with their aunt, the siblings take refuge in an abandoned air-raid shelter. With no remaining relatives and their emergency provisions exhausted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive amid the ruins.

With Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi, Kozo Hashida, Masayo Sakai and Masayo Sakai

1988 · Hayao Miyazaki

After moving to the countryside with their father to be nearer their mother in hospital, two sisters discover that the nearby woods are alive with gentle, magical creatures called Totoros. When the younger girl slips away from home, her sister turns to those forest spirits for help in finding her.

With Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Hitoshi Takagi, Shigesato Itoi, Sumi Shimamoto, Tanie Kitabayashi and Toshiyuki Amagasa

1981 · Isao Takahata

Chie Takemoto is a steady, responsible young woman who keeps a small Osaka tavern afloat while her unreliable father drifts in and out of trouble. Unknown to him, she quietly visits her mother—who left the family only recently—and dreams of bringing her parents back together, though she insists on waiting until her father can secure stable work.

With Chinatsu Nakayama, Norio Nishikawa, Kiyoshi Nishikawa, Yasushi Yokoyama, Shinsuke Shimada, Ryusuke Matsumoto and Utako Kyô

1989 · Hayao Miyazaki

During a required year of independence, a young witch struggles to find her place in a wary small town while supporting herself by operating a modest air courier service.

With Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi, Keiko Toda, Mieko Nobusawa, Koichi Miura and Haruko Katō

1986 · Hayao Miyazaki

A curious boy and a brave girl, bound by a mysterious crystal, embark on a perilous quest to find a fabled castle that drifts above the clouds, racing across seas and skies while outsmarting ruthless pirates and covert foreign agents determined to seize the secret for themselves.

With Keiko Yokozawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Minori Terada, Kotoe Hatsui, Fujio Tokita, Ichiro Nagai and Hiroshi Ito

2013 · Isao Takahata

Iroha’s predictable life is upended when Kaguya, a free-spirited runaway from the Moon, arrives to live with her and convinces her to team up as performers in a vibrant virtual world.

With Aki Asakura, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Kengo Kora, Atsuko Takahata, Tomoko Tabata and Shinosuke Tatekawa

2026 · Shingo Yamashita

Iroha's quiet life is upended when Kaguya, a carefree runaway from the Moon, arrives to live with her and persuades her to join forces as performers in a dazzling virtual realm.

With Yuko Natsuyoshi, Anna Nagase, Saori Hayami, Miyu Irino, Yuma Uchida, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Yoshino Aoyama

2023 · Hayao Miyazaki

During World War II, teenage Mahito—still reeling from his mother's tragic death—is sent from Tokyo to the quiet countryside to live with his new stepmother, Natsuko, whose uncanny resemblance to his mother unsettles him. As he tries to find his footing in this unfamiliar household, a persistent gray heron begins to appear at the margins of his days, its eerie presence both puzzling and tormenting, seemingly fixated on him and calling him "the long-awaited one."

With Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Takuya Kimura and Keiko Takeshita

1970 · Richard Fleischer

A routine drug deal collapses into violence, forcing XXXX to abandon his strict code and up the stakes—outthinking the entrenched powers and doing whatever it takes to come out alive.

With Martin Balsam, Sō Yamamura, Jason Robards, Joseph Cotten, Tatsuya Mihashi, E.G. Marshall and Takahiro Tamura

2025 · Keishi Otomo

Two dancers from contrasting worlds—one disciplined and reserved, the other spontaneous and fiercely independent—agree to pair up for a high-stakes competition. Their early rehearsals are tense and marked by clashing styles, but as they challenge and inspire one another, rivalry gives way to a powerful, unexpected attraction.

With Ryoma Takeuchi, Keita Machida, Shiori Doi, Anna Ishii, Shinya Hamada, Oshirō Maeda and Nadiya Bychkova

2023 · Ayataka Tanemura

A fearless boy born without magic dreams of becoming the Wizard King, but his quest is upended when four banished sorcerer-kings return to unleash destruction on the Clover Kingdom, forcing him to rise and defend his people.

With Gakuto Kajiwara, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Junichi Suwabe, Kana Yuuki, Toshihiko Seki, Toshiyuki Morikawa and Hochu Otsuka

2024 · Shannon Tindle

A celebrated athlete is summoned back to his hometown and reluctantly inherits his father’s role as Ultraman. Forced to master extraordinary abilities, he defends Tokyo from towering monsters and, through sacrifice and courage, forges a heroic legacy.

With Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young and Julia Harriman

2016 · Makoto Shinkai

Two high-school students who've never met, Mitsuha and Taki, live separate lives until one night they begin inexplicably swapping bodies. Mitsuha wakes up inhabiting Taki’s everyday existence while he finds himself living hers, and the strange exchange keeps occurring at unpredictable times, forcing them to coordinate, leave messages, and rearrange their routines to accommodate each other's world.

With Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita, Aoi Yuki, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kaito Ishikawa and Kanon Tani

2020 · Jeff Fowler

Endowed with lightning-fast speed, Sonic has settled into life on Earth—until his remarkable abilities catch the eye of the eccentric, dangerously brilliant Dr. Robotnik. A high-stakes, globe-trotting pursuit ensues as the obsessed inventor seeks to harness Sonic’s one-of-a-kind power, propelling the blue speedster and his friends into a breakneck race to prevent a plot for world domination.

With James Marsden, Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Neal McDonough and Jim Carrey

2024 · Jeff Fowler

When a mysterious newcomer called Shadow appears wielding abilities unlike anything they've faced, Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails are forced to reunite. Outmatched at every turn, the trio must turn to an unexpected ally in a desperate bid to stop Shadow and save their world.

With Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Krysten Ritter and James Marsden

1993 · Tomomi Mochizuki

At Kichijōji Station in Tokyo, Taku Morisaki catches sight of a woman he seems to know standing on the opposite platform as a train arrives. Later, moments before leaving his apartment to catch a flight to Kōchi Prefecture, a photograph of her slips from a shelf. He picks it up, studies it for a beat, then heads to the airport. As the plane lifts off, he begins to tell the story of how she entered his life.

With Nobuo Tobita, Yoko Sakamoto, Toshihiko Seki, Yuri Amano, Kae Araki, Jun'ichi Kanemaru and Ai Satou